Nottingham's independent breweries are uniting for the second Castle Beer Fest at Nottingham Castle on April 24 and 25, 2026. The event features enhanced facilities, a wider selection of beers, ciders, food, and live entertainment. Organizers aim to improve the experience following a successful first year.
The Castle Beer Fest returns to Nottingham Castle for two days of drinks, food, and live music, organized by local independent breweries. Scheduled for Friday, April 24, and Saturday, April 25, 2026, the festival builds on its inaugural success with investments in better cover, additional bars, and more staff to enhance the visitor experience.
A new Saturday daytime session has been added to reduce crowds and improve service speeds. Participating breweries include Blue Monkey, Black Iris, Castle Rock, Grumpy Fish, Hollow Stone, Lenton Lane, Lincoln Green, Liquid Light, Magpie, Neon Raptor, and Shipstone’s, serving beers from the castle grounds.
A highlight is the new ‘Friends of Nottingham’ bar, curated by Bang the Elephant Brewing Co. in their festival debut. Michael Shipman, brewer and co-owner of Bang the Elephant, stated: “The Friends of Nottingham bar will shine a spotlight on some of the city’s nano breweries, giving festivalgoers the chance to discover new beers and new breweries, while also providing a unique opportunity for the breweries to pour at a major city festival in an iconic setting. Castle Beer Fest is all about collaboration over competition — celebrating everything that makes Nottingham’s indie beer scene so strong and bringing even more choice to festival-goers.”
The Sneinton Cider Co. bar returns with double the cider selection, alongside a gin bar featuring local spirits and hot drinks from Boom Coffee. Food options include Big Melt, Chef Stef, The Cod’s Scallops, Fiery Dough Wood Fired Pizzas, La Pitta, MemSaab, Rocket Dogs, and The Snobby Butcher.
Live entertainment spans the weekend, featuring a Saturday daytime performance by Our Dementia Choir, founded by Nottingham actor Vicky McClure. The not-for-profit event will raise funds for the choir, which supports people with dementia and their families. Additional acts include Buster Party Band, Fat Digester, Herds, Milky Joe, and Jonk. No Half Measures Collective, a local women’s beer group, will have a dedicated space for relaxation and information.
Colin Wilde, managing director at Castle Rock Brewery, said: “Castle Beer Fest is a great example of Nottingham businesses coming together to create something bigger than any one brewery could achieve alone. We’re incredibly proud of the independent brewing scene in this city. Seeing all the breweries under one roof and working collectively to deliver a festival at Nottingham Castle, was a real moment of civic pride.”
Tickets are available now through Gigantic Tickets starting at £11, with more details at castlebeerfest.com.
